Pokemon Christmas Bash
by nyislandersgirl
Summary: A collection of non connecting holiday one shots, all based off of and inspired by the Pokemon Christmas Bash album. Ten stories that celebrate the spirit of Christmas and our favorite couple; Ash and Misty!
1. Pokemon Christmas Bash

**HELLO, my lovely readers! So, remember in my last update of Family Matters (if you read that story, and if not, SHAMELESS PLUG!) I wrote that I was working on a special project. Well...here it is!**

**This is a collection of non connecting one shots, all based off of and inspired by the 2001 album, Pokemon Christmas Bash. If you've never heard of this album or listened to it, you must. It's full of cheesy goodness.**

**Every chapter is the name of a song on the album, and borrows elements from said song. Some are very close to the songs, while others stray completely. Some chapters are set in my futureverse, while others are set a little more recently. So, without further distraction, let's get into this year's holiday project!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Pokemon Christmas Bash cd, any songs featured on it, or any of the already existing characters. I do own my original characters, however!**

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**Pokémon Christmas Bash**

In the quiet, home filled section of Cerulean City; a yellow sided, good sized house seemed to stand out against the rest. It was spaced out a little more than the others, but other than that, it was very similar to the other homes. Decorated by string lights, blanketed by a delicate layer of snow that would surely grow as the soft white continued to fall from the early night sky. But despite these similarities, a different air surrounded the humble yellow home.

To discover why this was, one would have to actually be _inside _of the house.

Two Pokémon ran around the abode, cheering in their perspective languages as they bustled quickly, moving to decorate every square inch of the living room. A water type and an electric type, working together to wrap colorful lights around the evergreen tree standing in the far left corner of the living room.

"Pika-pika!"

"Squi-squi-squirtle!"

In the_ right_ corner, two young children laid on their stomachs, a boy with a red Pokedex in hand, and a girl with her head being held in her small hands; both children with elbows digging into the soft, cream carpeting below them.

"What's Dexter say about Christmas?" The girl's bubbly voice filled the air.

"Let's see!" The boy pressed some buttons on the device to see what he could find. After a few more clicks, a digital voice spoke:

_Christmas - the time of year  
For peace on Earth and to spread good cheer._

Still laughing like a spritely little winter fairy, the girl leaned in closer to the equally young boy sprawled out next to her and took her own turn on pressing the same buttons, leading to yet another spoken definition:

_A bash - a rocking party,  
Filled with fun, where the laughter is hearty._

Standing in the center of the room, watching everything going on around her, was a young woman, dressed in a professional looking outfit consisting of a coral blazer layered over a white blouse, black dress pants, and a pair of coral pumps. Her silver eyes flew from corner to corner, golden hair flying around as she gazed. Seemingly out of nowhere, a man slid up next to this unfamiliar young woman, giving her a bit of a startle.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the dark haired man spoke up, a hopeful glint shining in his slender, dark eyes. "I'm Brock. I've got just two things on my Christmas list this year, a kiss from Nurse Joy _or _Officer Jenny. I could always add a third, though." Throwing in a seductive chuckle for good measure, Brock continued, "you're extremely beautiful."

"Um…thank you…" the woman stammered.

"If Santa grants my wish, maybe I'll just so happen to find all _three _of you under the mistletoe," Brock grinned.

The woman only started to look even more uncomfortable. Jumping in front of Brock was the same water type who had been helping to set the scene. With a mischievous smile on its face, the water type managed to yank the man away from the woman by the collar of his shirt.

"Squi-squi-squirtle!"

"Ah, come on, Squirtle! No fair!" Brock whined. From the corner, the two children giggled, and the spot that Brock had just been occupying was soon filled by a different figure.

"I'm terribly sorry about my friend. I knew I should've gotten down here sooner!"

"It's quite alright," the blonde shook her head, throwing the other woman a kind smile as she held out her hand, "Noelle."

Shaking the hand of the blonde, the newly arrived woman countered with, "I'm Misty Ketchum. Welcome to our home!"

"Thank you for allowing me in to see how the Pokémon Master and his family celebrate the season," Noelle's silver eyes had brightened considerably. "It'll make for my most interesting article yet!"

"Well, as you can see, we're a pretty normal family," Misty spun around, motioning towards the corner of the room. "We're having fun decorating the tree. We do a little spin on decking the halls, by filling our tree with Poke Balls!"

Squirtle, after finishing his job with Brock, had returned to the tree, where he was now digging through a cardboard box along with his electric friend. The children in the corner had now stirred, enough to get to their feet and peer into the box along with the two Pokémon.

"Aiden, Michelle, come here please!" Misty beckoned to the young ones. They looked up from the box and were quick to scurry over to their mother, curious and happy smiles set on their sweet faces. "Would you like to introduce yourselves to our special guest?"

Waving to the children, the journalist once again announced, "hi there! My name is Noelle! Why don't you two tell me a little about yourselves?"

"I'm Aiden!" The little boy jumped up, waving his arm in the air. He had been dressed specially for this occasion: a red and navy striped crew neck sweater over a white dress shirt, navy blue flat front dress pants, and a pair of black oxford shoes. "I'm the big brother!"

"Nuh-uh!" The little girl next to him argued.

Noelle gave Misty a confused look, to which the older red headed woman giggled and explained, "they're twins, but Aiden is older by twelve minutes. So he likes to call himself the big brother."

"He's four, like me!" The little girl cried again. "And…my name is Michelle."

Michelle was dressed up, just like her brother. The young girl wore a sleeveless taffeta dress; the top black and white stitched with big, white dots covering it. The skirt of her dress was predominantly white, differently sized red and black stripes racing across it. At her waist was a red ribbon, tied in the front into a neat bow. Her shoes, a pair of black ballet flats with an elastic strap to keep them secure and a little black bow on the front, matched the dress perfectly.

"It's nice to meet you both," Noelle giggled. "You're the most adorable kids I've ever seen!"

While Noelle busied herself with talking to the twins, who were now telling the journalist about all the things they wanted for Christmas, Misty had snuck away to the window, staring out the pane of glass into the darkening, snowy night.

"Hey, Santa," Misty murmured, feeling a little childish as she spoke, a frisky smile playing on her delicate lips, "if you're _really _listening, my wish list has only one thing…just give me one dance with Ash. One little dance with him, on a quiet, peaceful night."

As if on cue to interrupt Misty's spritely wish, a new figure came charging down the stairs, practically crashing into the wall as he dashed. Misty spun around in order to give the late occupant a scowl, while the twins began to cheer out of sheer happiness for his arrival.

"I'm sorry, I was getting ready! I'm sorry I'm late!"

"Pikapi!"

The electric type who had been bustling around the Christmas tree ran over to his trainer, climbing up the man's tall frame to settle on his broad shoulder. Chuckling, the raven haired man adjusted his silver tie, which Misty was amazed he had managed to tie himself.

"I'm Ash," he introduced before getting nudged on the cheek by his partner Pokémon. "Oh, sorry! And this is Pikachu!"

"Pika-pika!"

"It's…an honor to meet you," Noelle breathed, her whole face lighting up.

"Merry Christmas!" Ash's voice remained just as jovial as before, his eyes twinkling just at the mention of his favorite holiday.

"Pika!"

"Happy New Year, too," Ash laughed, his deep and warm chortle filling the entire room. "Are ya' hungry, Noelle?"

"I…I don't know," she was still obviously star struck. "Why do you ask?"

"Because…" Ash pulled out a poke ball and pressed the center button, releasing his signature fire type, who let out an excited roar upon seeing the Christmas scene around him. "The holidays wouldn't be the same without roasting chestnuts on Charizard's flame!"

Right on time, Brock returned to the living room, seemingly back in his right mind. He was holding a bag of chestnuts, and the twins, upon seeing the food, squealed and ran up to him, begging for some of the food.

"Alright, it's okay!" Brock reached into the bag and pulled two of the chestnuts out, handing each child just one to start. "There you go, you two."

"Thank you, Brock!" They chimed, running over to the fire type's tail. Charizard roared softly and lowered his tail so the twins wouldn't have to stand on their toes in order to reach his flame.

Ash walked over to his best friend and reached into the bag himself, pulling out another nut to hand to Misty. She smiled sweetly at him, not being able to stay mad at the handsome Master for long. She rewarded him with a sweet kiss on the cheek before joining her children by Charizard's flame. Taking out another chestnut, Ash held it out towards Noelle and asked, "wanna' try? It's fun! And they taste delicious!"

"Sure," Noelle laughed, taking the holiday treat from Ash.

The Pokémon Master and his Pokémon Doctor best friend took chestnuts of their own and soon joined the group that was gathered around Charizard's tail. After roasting her chestnut for a little while, Michelle seemed to get a little squirmy. Chuckling, Ash sat the child in his lap and asked, "what's got you so excited, little princess?"

Tilting her head back, Michelle smiled winsomely at her father and asked, "Daddy, what are _you _asking Santa for?"

Noelle looked up from the flame in order to watch the interaction between the Master and his young daughter. Twisting his mouth in deep thought, Ash replied, "well, I used to ask him all the time to help me become a Pokémon Master faster!"

"Yeah, but you got that already," Michelle scrunched her nose up. "What do you want _now?_"

"I don't really know, to be honest," Ash rested his chin atop Michelle's head. "I have everything I could possibly ask for! So…I'll just ask Santa to give you and your brother everything you've asked for!"

"And Mommy too?"

"Yes," Ash smiled, "and Mommy too."

At the end of the night, once Aiden and Michelle had been tucked away into bed after much holiday fun and playing along with Noelle, and Brock had gone home, the celebrity couple of Misty and Ash Ketchum were left by the front door, bidding a fond farewell to the journalist who they'd gotten to know so well over the past few hours.

"Thank you so much for inviting me into your home," Noelle thanked the couple. "I had so much fun! Your holiday is amazing, and I promise that I'll write a great story to reflect that!"

"I can't wait to read it," Misty smiled at the young blonde.

"And I can't wait to have Misty read it _to _me," Ash winked playfully, causing Noelle to giggle and Misty to roll her eyes.

Once Noelle had left, Misty closed the door behind her and let out a quiet sigh, planning in her head to go upstairs and start preparing for bed. This plan was cut short, however, when Ash wrapped his arms around her body and spun her around so they were facing one another.

"What?" Misty murmured. She was confused.

Smirking, Ash looked over his shoulder and called, "hey, buddy, help me out?"

"Kachu," Pikachu nodded. He skipped over to the stereo system, pressing the big button with his nose. The sound of melodic, instrumental Christmas music filled the air, causing Misty to shoot Ash another bewildered glance.

"Thanks, buddy!" Ash winked at Pikachu. The electric mouse winked back before scurrying towards the stairs, jumping onto the bannister in order to turn off the lights in the room, leaving the lights on the Christmas tree as the only illumination. Once that was done, Pikachu smiled satisfactorily and ran up the steps to leave the couple alone.

Still smiling at Misty, Ash locked his left hand around her waist and intertwined the fingers on their right hands, pressing their palms together. With their position settled, Ash began to move around the room with Misty, whose puzzled expression had quickly melted into one of awe.

"Ash…" Misty breathed, her voice light as air.

Chuckling, Ash craned his head down so his lips brushed against his wife's ear. The playful tone still laced through his voice, Ash whispered into the enamored gym leader's ear, "Santa heard your wish…let it be granted."

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**That's the first one for you! It is, obviously, based off the first song on the album: Pokemon Christmas Bash.**

**We have nine more chapters to go! I haven't decided how quickly they'll go up (every day or whatnot) but I CAN tell you they will all be up BEFORE Christmas! So, I'd love to know what you guys thought of the first chapter! Maybe if you REALLY enjoyed it, I'll put up the next chapter sooner ;)**


	2. I'm Giving Santa a Pikachu for Christmas

**Hello again, everyone! I'm so glad everyone seemed to enjoy the first chapter of this little project of mine! Since it got such a great response, I figured I would post the second chapter now!**

**This one was inspired by the second track on the Pokemon Christmas Bash CD :) Enjoy!**

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**I'm Giving Santa a Pikachu for Christmas**

On Christmas Eve, all over the world, children of all ages would go through their annual ritual before falling asleep: laying out milk and cookies for Santa's arrival.

This tradition was no different in the Ketchum household. Ash and Misty, the proud parents of twin three year olds, watched in awe as their young children gathered around the ceramic plate, strategically laying out the cookies that they had baked specifically for Santa along with their Grammy; Ash's mother.

"Are you two almost done?" Misty asked sweetly. She knew she had to put the two to bed before they got any more excited than they already were. That would just _guarantee _a night of no sleep…and make her and Ash's job impossible.

"Yes, Mommy," Michelle answered, finishing her obsessive adjustment of the milk filled mug that sat next to the plate of cookies. Once she felt it was perfect, the little girl spun around, smiling sweetly at her mother as she skipped over to hug her leg. The girl was wearing special holiday pajamas, as many children did on Christmas Eve. They were snug fitting: a white, long sleeved shirt with a Stantler printed on it; a bow around its neck and ornaments and lights hanging from its antlers, and red pants with small white polka dots on them.

"And you, Aiden?" Misty beckoned. "Are you ready for bed too?"

"No, Mommy," Aiden turned around and shook his head. He was wearing red and black plaid fleece pajamas, the pocket on the right side of his shirt featuring a little patch of Santa Claus.

"Why not?" Misty frowned. "You and Michelle set up the milk and cookies so nicely! And you know Santa won't come unless you two go to sleep."

"I gotta' do somethin' first," Aiden ran past his mother. He made it all the way up the stairs, greatly confusing his parents _and _his sister.

"Mommy, Aiden's weird," Michelle sighed.

"That isn't nice to say, sweetie," Misty gently scolded her daughter. "And you know that Santa doesn't bring presents to little girls who aren't nice!"

Michelle gasped softly and quickly covered her mouth, causing both Ash and Misty to laugh heart fully at the child's actions.

"It's okay, princess," Ash knelt down and gave his daughter a hug. "You're still gonna' get your presents! Santa knows you're a good baby girl."

The sound of small feet pounding against the floor alerted the rest of the family once again. Aiden was hurrying back down the stairs, just as quickly as he went up. Held in his little hands was a stuffed Pikachu, only creating more bewilderment.

"Aiden, champ, why'd you get your stuffed Pikachu?" Ash tilted his head.

"It's 'cause I'm givin' it to Santa!" Aiden replied.

"Uh…what?" Ash blinked.

"I'm givin' Santa a Pikachu for Chwistmas," Aiden smiled sweetly. "Just like yours, Daddy!"

"Oh…" Ash furrowed his brow, "and how come you decided to do that?"

Scurrying over to the still lit fire place, where the stockings hung from the elaborately decorated mantle, Aiden reached his own red stocking and tucked the stuffed Pokémon away in it. "Santa always gives _us _presents, so he gets one now!" Spinning back around, still beaming, Aiden continued, "Santa's magic. He can make the Pikachu come to life! Then he'll have a real Pikachu. Like you, Daddy."

Chuckling warmly, Ash walked over to the stockings as well, holding his chin in contemplation as he thought aloud, "I bet he'll scratch his beard and say:_ "_Now Christmas eves will be a breeze, as long as I have one of these! On foggy flights, through winter nights, to light my way!" Good idea, Aiden!"

Aiden laughed at his father's impersonation of the jolly round man who graced the underside of their Christmas tree with a sea of presents every year. "Pikachu can help him, Daddy! His thundew bolt will spin candy canes 'round!"

"And I'm sure it could power up new electric toy trains, too," Ash nodded.

"Santa always has lots of work to do," Aiden's voice was very serious, "so Pikachu can help him! He can use pika-powew to help Santa bring toys to little boys and giwls, like me and Shelly!"

"And grownups, too," Ash added spritely, "like me and Mommy!"

"It'll be Santa's best fwiend!" Aiden was getting more excited now. "He'll have fun wif' Pikachu! And Pikachu will have fun wif' Santa, too!"

"Playing in Santa's workshop…that sure sounds fun," Ash laughed.

"But…it's cold thewe," Aiden suddenly frowned.

"Cold where?"

"In the North Pole," Aiden murmured. "It's cold. Pikachu might get _too _cold!"

"That's true, or so I'm told," Ash smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "But with so much warmth in both of their hearts, they'll never feel the cold!"

"Yeah," Aiden's smile returned, his voice regaining confidence. "Giving Santa a Pikachu is the pewfect thing to do!"

"And I bet when Santa's sleigh flies out of sight, we'll hear him call out "ho ho ho!" and "Merry Christmas," just like he normally does," Ash's eyes were twinkling with playfulness, especially when he noticed Aiden let out a tiny yawn. "But there'll be something else, too!"

"What, Daddy?" Aiden yawned again, his eyes beginning to slip closed.

"Pipika, pikachu!"

Aiden's eyes snapped open, his head raising as he searched for the source of the noise. What he found was Pikachu, lying on the nearby couch with his ears twitching excitedly.

"Pikachu understands," Ash chuckled as he lifted Aiden into his arms, preparing to carry the sleepy child upstairs to his bed. "He would know, after all! He's my best friend, just like Santa's Pikachu will be."

"Yeah," Aiden mumbled, snuggling his cheek against Ash's chest as he began to dream about Santa and his new Pikachu playing together, preparing all of the toys for Christmas day. "G'night…Pikachu…"

"Pika-chuuuuu!"

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**There you have it! The second addition :) I'll try to maybe get another one up tomorrow...but I do have to study for my final on Friday. Don't worry, I have most of them ready!**

**Until then, leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	3. Winter is the Coolest Time of Year

**A fun, short one for you all. This comes from the third track off of the CD!**

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**Winter is the Coolest Time of Year**

Picture this scene in your head, if you will.

A forest of green, filled with tall, lush pine trees. A blue shutter cottage, gray in color but not in a way that makes it drab. It's a soft gray, almost silver, and the cottage itself appears small and cozy. This small house sits in the clearing of the green forest, open to anyone who is traveling through and needs a place to stay for the night.

Now picture this same scene, with the beautiful trees and the comfy cottage, but covered in snow. Snow that is freshly fallen; crystal white and pure. The air is chilly, the sky crystal clear now that all of the snow has settled. There's excitement floating all around; you can feel it in your bones just like the cool wind that whips through.

And that's because winter is the coolest time of year.

"Come on guys, let's make a snowman!"

Misty threw open the front door of this gray cottage, her emerald eyes sparkling at the sight of all the snow there was to play with. She was dressed appropriately for the occasion: a red wool coat, double breasted with dark anchor buttons running down both sides. Her skinny jeans were tucked neatly into a pair of black, quilted snow boots, which matched the black scarf wrapped around her neck, and the black hat and gloves she was also sporting.

Giggling, Misty ran out into the open field, kicking up the fluffy white snow around her as she charged gleefully.

"I have a better idea, Misty!"

The gym leader whipped around, the smile widening on her face. "What's that, Ash?"

The dark haired Pokémon Master came dashing outside as well, looking just as warm as Misty in his bright blue puffer jacket, the usual baseball cap on his head replaced by a red knit winter hat and the fingerless gloves replaced with full gloves also made of red knit. He did, however, keep on his regular sneakers to play.

"Let's make a snow-mon!"

"Haha!" Misty laughed brightly, running towards her man to wrap her arms around him. "Perfect!" Pulling away from him, but keeping her hands on his shoulders, Misty continued, "How about a Tenta-cool?"

Grinning his usual goofy grin, Ash placed his hands on Misty's back and lowered them as he replied, "or a Fridgetto!"

Leaning in, Misty kissed Ash heatedly on the lips before biting his lower lip, growling in a somehow perfect mixture of seductiveness and playfulness, "let's build a Butterfreeze!"

"Could we continue this discussion inside? Where it's warm?"

Misty peered over Ash's shoulder, and, in turn, Ash looked over his own shoulder, not bothering to move his hands from where they rested on Misty's body. What they found was Brock, standing in the doorway of the gray cottage, his arms wrapped around himself as he shivered valiantly. He, unlike the two lovebirds standing before him, was not properly dressed for the season; lacking a winter coat and wearing nothing but a short sleeved t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Oh, come on, Brock," Misty teased her friend, pressing a kiss against Ash's cheek before continuing, "It's cool out here."

"Yeah, too cool," Brock deadpanned, realizing just where Ash was holding onto his fiancée.

"Misty," Ash prodded teasingly, giving the young woman a sweet kiss on her forehead and leaving his lips there to murmur against her skin, "We got to get Brock to chill out."

She toyed with the zipper on Ash's coat as she thought, allowing the handsome, raven haired young man to cover her with hot, passionate kisses all over her face. "I know how!" She exclaimed suddenly, eyes glinting with mischievousness.

Ash quickly caught onto the shine and smirked. "Me too!"

Being on the same wavelength, as such couples like them who were so madly in love and so alike usually were, Ash and Misty both gathered snow in their gloved hands, trying desperately to hide the icy stuff behind their backs as they flitted towards Brock. The aspiring Pokémon Doctor was confused, at first, but as soon as he saw the looks on his two best friends' faces, he knew something was about to go down. Something that he wasn't going to like one little bit.

"Wait, no!" Brock cried, backing into the cottage, frantically waving his hands in front of himself. "Not snow down my back! Guys, don't!"

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**This one was really fun to write. I love flirty Ash and Misty!**


	4. Nobody Don't Like Christmas

**Since yesterday's chapter was a bit on the short side, here's the next one for you all!**

**It's based off the fourth track of the CD. Enjoy!**

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**Nobody Don't Like Christmas**

Pikachu couldn't lie. As degrading and even a little shallow as it seemed to be to admit, he was _jealous. _He had told Ash he wasn't, but it wasn't true. Pikachu was, in fact, jealous. Why, he couldn't even get a good scratch behind the ears from his _Pikapi _without one of those…tiny, needy humans interrupting it. Finally feeling fed up, Pikachu decided he needed to go for a walk alone. Ash certainly wouldn't be happy when he found out, but right now, Pikachu didn't care. Who knows…maybe Ash was even too busy now to notice he was gone.

"Just where do ya' tink you're goin, huh?"

Pikachu stopped in his tracks, ears flicking as he lifted his head to see where the voice was coming from. As it would turn out, Meowth was standing right in front of him, arms crossed with a devious look on his face.

"Pika, pikachu. Pikachuka."

"What do ya mean "not right now?" Meowth glared. "I ain't waitin' around tah take you wit' me!"

"Chu, pikachu pikapika pikachu."

Pulling his shoulders back, Meowth blinked and asked, "whattya mean ya' left the twoip? Ain't he mad?"

"Kachu."

"You don't care?"

"Ka."

"Well, dis ain't right, not at all," Meowth mused. "I want tah take ya' back to Jessie and James like the brilliant thief dat I am, but fer some reason, dat don't feel quite right when you're not at a hundred percent. Why don't ya' tell me what's buggin' ya, pal?"

Pikachu raised an eyebrow and questioned, "kachu?"

"Of course I care!" Meowth tapped a paw over his heart. "We may be sworn enemies, but when it comes down to it, you and I are both Pokémon! And us Pokémon gotta' stick tahgether!"

Narrowing his eyes in thought, Pikachu finally nodded and turned around to dash, Meowth gasping and quickly following after the electric type. Eventually, Pikachu led the normal type back to the house he had originally left, climbing up a tree to peer into one of the first floor windows. Meowth followed behind, panting heavily as he struggled to climb the small tree.

"Okay, so I ain't as limber as ya', dat's for sure," Meowth sighed, taking a break once he'd reached the top.

"Chu," Pikachu growled, his tail twitching just once. _Look._

Meowth did just that, sitting up in order to look through the glass along with Pikachu. What he saw was the twerp and the main twerpette, sitting close together and playing with two very small infants who were lying on a sprawled out blanket.

"It's just the twoips and their twoippy little ones," Meowth sounded puzzled.

"Kachu!"

"So what's dat gotta' do wit' anyting?"

"Pika," Pikachu spat, looking away indignantly.

Making a noise of interest, Meowth managed to stand up on the branch of the small tree and gasp, "no way! You're jealous of the baby twoips!"

"Pika…"

"Wow," Meowth marveled, "never thought I'd see dat one coming!"

Pikachu looked down in a mixture of shame and frustration. Meowth looked back into the house, noticing all of the Christmas decorations hanging around the room; most noticeable, the rather regal Christmas tree standing in the corner.

"Well buddy, you shouldn't be so sad!" Meowth countered. "It's Christmas time! You ain't allowed to be sad now!"

"Pikachu pi pika."

"Whattya mean Christmas is ruined?!" Meowth was shocked.

"Pikapi pi pikachupi pika pikachu pika pi."

"Who cares if the twoips are payin' more attention to dose babies now?" Meowth waved a paw at the frustrated mouse. "Ain't nobody don't like Christmas, and dat's a fact!"

"Pi," Pikachu shook his head.

"It's the happy day that everybody loves!" Meowth continued. "There's folks all over town trimmin' trees and knittin' gloves!"

"Pika," Pikachu spat.

"It's holly-jolly everywhere!" Meowth exclaimed. "Just look at dat nice tree those twoips put up! It's all covered in tinsel and ornaments and da like."

This didn't seem to make any difference to the electric type, however. He was still jealous of Ash and Misty's babies.

"Ain't you been downtown? They got Santa Claus in the square!" Meowth marveled. "And in all them high class department stores, too!"

"Pi _pika_ chu." I _know _that. Of course he did. Pikachu had always gone to the mall with Ash and Misty at Christmas time. It was fun to see the big building decorated so festively, and to go looking in every store with Misty while Ash grumbled nonsensically behind them. But they didn't have time to go to the mall this year. The babies were too young to go anywhere and they needed _all _of their parents' attention. This Christmas was going to be nowhere as fun as ones in the past.

"It's a time of peace and love and brotherhood!" Meowth exclaimed. "A _purr_-fect time for families to come tahgether and love one another."

Pikachu scoffed. His family didn't care about him…not anymore. They had cute little babies now. Who needed a partner Pokémon when you could have two cute little humans? That's how Pikachu assumed his family felt about him now.

Looking back into the window, Pikachu watched as Ash looked over his shoulder, away from the babies, and called something out. He waited a few seconds, and when nothing happened, the Pokémon Master got to his feet and looked around in the room in bewilderment. Misty glanced up at him, her lips clearly reading, _"what's wrong?"_

"_Pikachu," _Ash was saying, _"I don't think he's here…"_

Misty jumped up as well, her own eyes appearing just as frantic as her husband's. Ash continued to shake his head around, yelling out _"Pikachu! Pikachu!"_

"Pika…" Pikachu murmured.

"Hmm? What's up wit' you?" Meowth asked. He turned his attention back into the house as well. By now, Ash was running around, calling out his partner's name in pure desperation. When he realized that the mouse was nowhere to be seen, he stood in one spot, eyes filling up with tears as his lips bent into a frown. Misty scurried up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu whimpered. Soon enough, Ash was wiping at his eyes with his forearm, and the electric type could no longer watch. "Kachu!"

Jumping off the small tree, Pikachu began to run back towards the front door, where he'd managed to get out from. Meowth followed after his usual enemy, calling out, "hey! Where are ya' goin?"

"Pika pikapi," Pikachu stopped in order to answer the cat.

"Ya' goin' back tah da twoip?" Meowth inquired.

"Ka."

"Hmm, well, sometimes I can do somethin' right," Meowth smirked. Pikachu rolled his eyes and continued to dash towards the front door. "But dis ain't ovah! One day, I'm gonna' catch ya'!"

Pikachu smirked and pushed the front door open with his little black nose, just enough so he could sneak back into the living room without being noticed. Hopping towards his clearly upset trainer, Pikachu rubbed against the young man's legs, chattering softly.

Sniffling, Ash looked down and realized that his Pokémon was back; safe and sound. "Pi…pikachu?"

"Ka!" Pikachu squealed, glancing up at his trainer with sparkling black eyes.

"Oh, Pikachu!" Ash gathered the mouse in his arms, giving the electric type a tight hug. "I was so worried! Why didn't you come when I was calling you? I was really scared that something bad had happened to you!"

"Pikapi, pikachu!" Pikachu licked Ash's cheek, causing him to laugh.

Misty smiled and stroked the mouse behind his ears, cooing, "thank goodness you're safe and sound, Pikachu!"

"I don't know how I'd be able to go on without my best friend," Ash winked at Pikachu. From down on the floor, a series of throaty baby noises alerted the young parents and the small electric mouse, causing them all to look down. Little Aiden was now awake, blinking his eyes to rid them of their lasting sleep as he squirmed on the blanket. Wiggling out of his trainer's arms, Pikachu hopped onto the floor and settled himself next to the baby, curiously wiggling his nose as he leaned into the child. The proximity caused Aiden to turn his head, and set his wide, brown eyes on the Pokémon.

"Pipika?" Pikachu questioned.

Aiden cooed softly, reaching out to touch Pikachu's nose. Smiling, Pikachu nuzzled the baby's palm, causing Aiden himself to smile back.

"Wow, Pikachu, Aiden really loves you," Misty whispered.

"Both of the babies love him," Ash nodded. "I've noticed how happy they get when he's around."

Turning around, Pikachu twitched his ears and murmured, "pika, pikapi."

"I know you might have been feeling a little left out since the babies came," Ash smiled sweetly at his Pokémon, "but…I want you to know that you'll always mean _everything _to me, Pikachu. Just like Misty, Aiden, and Michelle. You're a part of this family, too."

Pikachu stared up at his trainer in awe. Chuckling softly, Ash held out his arms and continued to grin at the mouse.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms once again, cuddling against the man.

"Aww," Misty sighed, running her fingers through Ash's hair and giving the man a kiss before stroking Pikachu's fur. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

And Pikachu _had_ to squeak in agreement.


	5. I Keep My Home in My Heart

**This is the first one that I really strayed from the song, since the original is Brock and Misty singing about how they miss their homes while on their journey with Ash :)**

**So, with that being said, this one is based off of the fifth track on the CD :)**

* * *

**I Keep My Home in My Heart**

"Look, she wants you!"

Ash smiled sadly at his baby daughter, who was beaming at him and holding one of her little hands out, opening and closing her little fingers in obvious want.

"I'm sorry, pumpkin," Ash cooed. "I wish I could come to you…I really do."

Misty, who was holding onto the baby's sides, frowned and pulled the infant closer to her. Elizabeth squeaked unhappily, her jubilant expression turning into one of sadness.

"Ash, are you sure there isn't any possible way for you to come home?" Misty was practically pleading. "Aiden and Michelle haven't been acting like themselves without you here, and I think you being gone is even affecting baby Lizzie. She hasn't been so happy the past few days."

"I really wish I could, Mist," Ash shook his head, "but they're not gonna' let me go. There's so much work they want me to do."

"This isn't fair," Misty pouted. She didn't want to make her husband feel any worse; his not being home wasn't his fault, after all, and it was killing him just as much as it was killing everyone else in the family. But she just couldn't help herself. She may have been married, and a mother, but in all honesty, Misty was still nothing more than a young woman. The same went for Ash; he was hardly a full-fledged adult either. They were both still growing as people, and sometimes, they slipped back into a more childish state.

"I know it isn't," Ash admitted. He wasn't going to lie.

As if sensing her parents' anguish (and she probably did, because babies were so susceptible to others' emotions), Elizabeth started to cry, still staring at her father as she wailed. If anything, this only made Ash feel even worse.

"Okay, I know, baby, I know," Misty shushed, bouncing the girl up and down on her lap. This didn't seem to do anything for Elizabeth, however. She was really carrying on.

"This is killing me, Mist," Ash buried his face in his hands.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Misty sighed, reaching over to retrieve one of Elizabeth's pacifiers in the hopes that it would soothe the girl. "I guess you're just gonna' have to go now…"

He could hear the disappointment in his wife's voice, and although he didn't think it was at all possible at this point, Ash was beginning to feel worse.

"I'm sorry, angel," Ash whispered, his throat tightening.

"Honey, don't be sorry, it's okay," Misty tried to coax the translucent pacifier with the floral pink printed center into the baby's mouth. "Aiden, Michelle, come say good bye to your Daddy. He has to go now."

The two young children appeared next to their mother, their own expressions reflecting a sense of sorrow.

"Daddy, when are you comin' home?" Michelle murmured.

"I told you, princess, I don't know," Ash bit his lip.

"You'll be home for Christmas, right?" Aiden piped up.

"I…I don't know about that either, champ."

The raven haired boy's shoulders fell, as did his eyes. Michelle had already taken this path and looked as equally downtrodden as her twin.

"I'm really sorry, you guys," Ash was trying to hold back his tears.

Elizabeth let out a scream; the pacifier tumbling out of her mouth and into Aiden's awaiting hands, which he had readied as soon as he saw the pacifier beginning to slip.

"We'll talk tomorrow," Misty sighed, turning Elizabeth around so she could pat the baby on her back.

Ash nodded before murmuring, "I love you guys. And I'll be home as soon as I can."

He didn't even get a response before the connection ended. Sighing, he stood up from the chair that was seated in front of the video phone and shuffled over to his hotel bed. Throwing himself down on the messy, unmade bed, Ash stared up at the ceiling and continued to try and hold back tears. He'd wanted to be a Pokémon Master all of his life. He hadn't expected to fall in love, and get married, and have beautiful children, but he had, and he loved them dearly. And very often, this job kept him away from them. No one had told him it would be like this.

While still immersed in deep thought, staring a hole into the ceiling with tears flooding his chocolate brown eyes, Ash felt something jump on his chest; something light and rather fluffy.

"Pikapi?"

Frowning, Ash sat up on his elbows so he could lock eyes with his partner. Pikachu shook his ears and smiled gently at Ash. He could sense that his trainer wasn't happy, and Pikachu wanted to fix that.

"Thanks buddy," Ash smiled weakly, knowing exactly what the mouse was trying to do. "But…I don't think anything is really going to make me feel better right now."

Ash sat up fully, Pikachu climbing atop his shoulder. Sliding off the bed, Ash wandered over to the large window in the room, pulling open the curtains and staring out into the night. Snow was falling from the sky, sprinkling the darkness with little white sparkles.

"You should've seen their faces, Pikachu," Ash muttered. "It was _awful. _Having to face my little ones and tell them I probably won't be home for Christmas."

"Kachu."

"Even Misty looked like she was about to cry. Which…I guess makes sense. I am her husband, after all. And now I left her alone with three little kids at Christmas."

"Pii…"

"I just feel so…bad," Ash sighed, resting his forehead against the cool glass of the window. He stayed like that for a few seconds, until the phone rang. Squeezing his eyes shut, Ash separated himself from the window and wandered over to the phone, picking it up and holding the receiver against his face before answering in a rather miserable fashion.

"Hello?"

**XXX**

At the same time, back in Cerulean City, Misty was finally managing to get Elizabeth to calm down. She kissed the baby's head and gently rocked her back and forth, trying not to cry herself for fear of upsetting the children even further.

"Mommy, here's Lizzie's pacifier," Aiden held the object towards his mother.

"Oh, thank you, sweetheart," Misty smiled at her son and took the pacifier, once again putting it in front of Elizabeth's mouth. This time, the baby accepted it without any fussing and started sucking on it quietly. "Good girl."

Frowning, Michelle folded her arms on her mother's lap and looked up at the older red head, murmuring, "Mommy, why can't Daddy come home?"

"You know that his job sometimes gets in the way, sweetie," Misty freed one of her hands so she could soothingly play with her older daughter's hair. "He doesn't do it on purpose."

"I want Daddy," Michelle muttered.

"I know you do, princess," Misty stood up and instead walked over to sit on the couch, so it would be easier for the twins to sit next to her. "I know you all do. I want Daddy, too."

Elizabeth, while still content with her pacifier, let out an indiscernible moan, leading Misty to once again bounce the baby up and down on her lap. Michelle leaned over to hug the little girl, the warmth of Elizabeth's fleece, pink and white snowflake printed pajamas making her feel a little better.

"Does Daddy think about us when he's not here?" Aiden frowned.

"Oh, of course he does, baby," Misty hugged Aiden against her side. "He always does. Just because he's not here with us doesn't mean we're not on his mind…or in his heart."

"His heart?" Aiden murmured, staring up at Misty with dazzling brown eyes.

"Yes, sweetie," Misty giggled, "that's where he keeps all of us when we're not there with him! Tucked away safely inside of his heart."

"So, he doesn't forget about us?" Michelle murmured, as if wanting to make sure of this fact.

"No, never," Misty smiled. "He keeps his home in his heart. Every time he leaves. But he always knows he'll come back."

"You know he'll come back, right Mommy?" Michelle queried.

"Of course I do," Misty's voice dipped to a near whisper. "Your Daddy will _always _come back to us."

**XXX**

That night, Misty laid alone in her and Ash's bed, completely unable to sleep. She stared at the ceiling for a while, actually hoping that Elizabeth would wake up and want to be fed. Unfortunately for her, however, the baby had started sleeping through the night, for the most part. Getting too antsy for her own good, Misty slipped out of bed and wandered over to the window on the far right side of the room, staring out into the dark winter night. The snow was still falling, she could see, though it was beginning to die down.

"What am I supposed to do?" Misty mumbled to herself. "I want Christmas to be special for my little ones, but without Ash…it can't be very good."

She raised her eyes to the stars in the sky, hoping they could maybe give her an answer. Perhaps she could try wishing on one…it was such a childish thing to do, but Misty didn't even care at that point. Even thinking about _her _not having Ash at Christmas was a tough one to face. Squeezing her eyes shut, Misty started whispering a wish to herself, hoping that the stars could somehow grant it.

Just then, the sound of a doorknob twisting downstairs alerted the gym leader. Her heart leapt into her throat, and the adrenaline started racing through her veins. She turned slowly, just in time to see Aiden scurrying into her room with baby Elizabeth in his arms.

"Aiden!" Misty gasped, kneeling in front of the boy.

"Mommy, I heard a noise downstairs," Aiden's eyes were wide with fear.

"I know, I heard it too," Misty sighed, running a hand through her red hair as she got back to her full height.

"It even woke Lizzie up," Aiden motioned towards the squirmy infant in his grasp.

"Hold onto her, Aiden," Misty advised softly, running over to her dresser and plucking one of the poke balls that had been sitting atop it. "I'm going to see what's up."

"I'm scared, Mommy," Aiden whispered.

"Don't be, sweetie."

"But what if they steal our Christmas decorations?" Aiden fussed. "Or our tree?"

"Don't worry, honey," Misty reassured, "Mommy isn't going to let them take anything. Just stay here, okay?"

Aiden nodded swiftly, clutching the baby just a little more tightly. Misty, meanwhile, stalked her way out of the bedroom, quietly making her way down the stairs while clutching the poke ball in her hand. She was going to protect her family, no matter what.

_I just wish Ash was here to help me. I don't _need _it…but I want it._

As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Misty let out a fierce, threatening growl and wound up her arm, preparing to throw the red and white sphere. She was stopped by a hand on her wrist, however, gripping it tightly. Shocked, and a little bit frightened, Misty let out a shriek and lowered her eyes until they were locked with the eyes of her home's intruder.

"A…Ash?" Misty muttered in disbelief.

"Please don't hurt me," Ash rushed out desperately.

Misty could only stare at her husband as if he was a ghost. Her heart was racing, but her brain didn't seem to be working. The sound of trampling down the stairs wasn't even enough to move Misty. As it would turn out, it was the children who were bustling down the stairs; Aiden leading the way with Elizabeth still in his arms, and Michelle tagging along sleepily behind him.

"Mommy, we got scared because we heard you yell, and then you stopped-"Aiden sounded very frantic, but he stopped talking as soon as he saw who was standing in front of his mother. Michelle perked up as well, and even Elizabeth stopped wiggling in her brother's grasp to turn her head.

"Daddy?" Michelle asked, her voice low and quavering slightly.

Releasing his still stunned wife's wrist, Ash stepped over to the staircase, beaming at his three young children. This was just enough to prove to them that he was really there, and they were soon bursting with excitement.

"DADDY!"

They flew down towards their father, who knelt so he could catch them in his arms. Ash snuggled the children and kissed all of their heads, the two older kids crying out happily. Elizabeth, on the other hand, started to whimper, not liking between squished between her father and older siblings.

"Oops, someone's getting smushed!" Ash chuckled, gathering the baby into his own arms and giving her a snuggle. This calmed her down instantly, bringing the smile back to the child's face. Looking down at the twins, Ash inquired, "so, are you two happy to see me?"

"Yes!" Aiden and Michelle chorused, their eyes sparkling like the lights on the family's Christmas tree.

"Pika!" Pikachu, who had been sitting so diligently on his trainer's shoulder, jumped off to rub against the children's legs.

"Aiden, Michelle, it's a little late, don't you think?" Misty finally managed to speak up. "Maybe you should go back to sleep…you can play with Daddy more tomorrow."

"Okay!" Both children chirped. Ash gave them both another kiss before they jumped back up the stairs, happily running to their bedrooms with Pikachu following behind.

Misty was still staring at her husband in disbelief. Ash stood up to his full height, a now softly cooing Elizabeth still held in his arms. He walked over to the baby's basket, sitting on the couch, and laid her in it, hoping she would fall back asleep after all of the excitement. Wordlessly, Misty moved over to him, touching her hands to his face to make sure he wasn't a figment of her imagination. Ash just watched his wife curiously, staring her right into her emerald eyes the entire time.

"Ash…" Misty whispered again.

"Hi," Ash replied simply, a boyish smile appearing on his face.

Misty threw her arms around Ash. It was all she could think to do. She squeezed him so tightly that Ash could hardly breathe, but he wasn't about to complain. Instead, he hugged her right back, pressing her head against his chest and silently breathing in and out.

She pulled away just enough to look up at him, though Ash refused to remove his arms from around Misty. She was perfectly fine with that as she asked, "wh-what are you doing here? I thought you couldn't come home."

"That's what I thought," Ash was still smiling, "but not too long after I hung up with you, I got a call from the League offices telling me to go home. I didn't even question it. I got on the soonest flight that I possibly could."

"You…you really did that?" Misty was breathless.

"Of course," Ash pulled Misty into him yet again. "I love you guys, and it was killing me to be away from you at Christmas. I would do it a thousand times over."

Misty smiled against her husband's chest. She loved him so much, and it was the best feeling in the world to have him there with her. Sighing contently, she wrapped her arms around him once again, turning her head to cuddle her cheek against his chest.

"I'm so glad you keep us all in your heart when you're gone," Misty murmured, "but having you here _with _us is so much better."


	6. The Christmas Song

**This is another one that strays a bit from the original song, since all it was only Team Rocket singing The Christmas Song. I added a little plot to it ;)**

**So, here's the sixth track: The Christmas Song!**

* * *

**The Christmas Song**

"This one is for all our fans!"

"But, Jessie, we don't have any fans."

"Heh! We will aftah dey hear dis!"

Team Rocket was standing in Cerulean City's town square, all three members holding microphones in their hands (or, in Meowth's case, paw) and standing before a fairly enormous speaker. They were all dressed in winter garb: coats, hats, and scarves, and all shared a mischievous glint in their eyes. The trio was clearly up to something, although it might not have been obvious to the untrained eye.

At the same time, Ash and Misty were walking around town, holding hands while Misty dragged Ash towards every high end store in the city to look in the windows.

"Ash, look!" Misty tugged at her fiancé's arm while she pointed into the window of a jewelry store. "Isn't that necklace _so _beautiful?"

Ash sighed and reluctantly glanced into the window. She was motioning towards a white gold necklace, with artful sweeps of round diamond accents that gracefully formed teardrops filled with bright, pear-cut sapphires. It was definitely one of the most elegant pieces of jewelry Ash had ever seen. And…expensive too.

"It's almost $2,000," Ash's eyes were wide.

"I know, I didn't say you had to get it for me," Misty smiled winsomely at her future husband. "I just thought it was so beautiful. It's fun to look at these things."

"Yeah," Ash's grin was a little weaker. To be quite honest, he was sick of window shopping. It just wasn't his thing. Save for when Misty had brought him past all of those gourmet bakeries and chocolate shops. _Those _sure were fun to look in.

The sound of singing suddenly caught Misty's attention, causing her to look away from the jewelry filled window. She locked her eyes on the three people gathered in town square, beginning to sing in front of Cerulean City's big Christmas tree.

"Aw, that's so cute!" Misty giggled.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "I wonder what they're gonna' sing?"

Together, the three disguised villains' voices filled the air, singing:

_Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..._  
_Jack Frost nipping at your nose..._  
_Yuletide carols being sung by a choir...  
And folks dressed up like Eskimos..._

Squinting his eyes to try and get a better look at the carolers, Ash pondered, "Hey Mist, do those guys seem familiar to you?"

"Not really…" Misty shook her head. "Why? Do they look familiar to you?"

"I don't know…"

"Pi…"

Ash turned his head to gaze at Pikachu, who was sitting on his shoulder. The electric type looked transfixed; his ears standing up completely straight and his eyes almost completely black.

"What's up, buddy?" Ash inquired.

Jumping off of his trainer's shoulder, Pikachu started to scurry towards the singers, alarming both Ash and Misty.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash called, running after the Pokémon. "Get back here!"

Before Ash could move any further, Misty grabbed her fiancé by the wrist and called, "Ash! Look around! It's not just Pikachu…"

Scanning the crowd around them, Ash discovered that several other Pokémon were wandering towards the carolers, looking to be in the same kind of trance that Pikachu was in.

"What the…" Ash blinked, confused as to what was going on.

"Why do they all seem to be mesmerized?" Misty wondered aloud, looking back up at the trio of singers who were continuing on with their performance:

_Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe_  
_Help to make the season bright._  
_Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow, _  
_Will find it hard to sleep tonight._

Heart hammering away in his chest, Ash ran after Pikachu, tearing himself away from Misty with ease. The gym leader gasped and whipped around so quickly her white knit beret almost slipped off of her head.

"Ash!" She cried, running after the Pokémon Master.

Her frantic yelp of his name caught the attention of the citizens who were all gathered in town square. The concerned trainers, whose Pokémon all seemed to be under the same spell, momentarily took a breath of relief when they saw the world famous Pokémon Master running alongside the Pokémon. They knew that if there was anyone capable of getting to the bottom of things, it was the one and only Ash Ketchum.

Misty, however, was not as enamored or star struck. She was concerned by her future husband's actions… and a little irritated. Why couldn't he ever listen to her? Or try to stay safe?

"Stupid," Misty muttered under her breath, still chasing after the young man.

Ash managed to catch up to his partner Pokémon and gather the mouse in his arms. Upon being restricted, Pikachu let out a miserable whine and began to struggle in Ash's hold.

"Hey, chill out, Pikachu," Ash frowned. "I'm trying to help you!"

Misty pulled up to Ash's side and stared down at the struggling electric type. The longer he stayed in Ash's hold, the angrier the little mouse seemed to be getting. Before long, Pikachu was growling and biting Ash's arm, which he fortunately couldn't feel due to the heavy winter jacket he was wearing.

"Pikachu…" Ash murmured sadly, "why are you acting this way?"

With the right maneuvering, Pikachu managed to free enough of his body to smack Ash in the face with his tail. Yelping, Ash reached up to rub his sore cheek, and Pikachu was finally free to hop back onto the ground and continue his trek towards the singers.

"Ash, are you alright?" Misty sighed, dropping her anger to examine his afflicted cheek.

"Yeah, I guess," Ash muttered. Turning his sad eyes onto Misty, he squeaked, "what's wrong with Pikachu?"

"I don't know," Misty answered honestly before her voice grew more determined. "But we have to find out!"

Ash nodded. It was now _his _turn to run after Misty, who was heading towards the carolers through the sea of mesmerized Pokémon. It was difficult, with all of the creatures scurrying at her feet, but eventually, Misty reached the trio and gave them all a serious look.

"What's going on here?" Misty demanded. "What are you doing to all of these Pokémon?"

"Can it, kid, we're busy here," the disguised Jessie threw a hand out so it covered Misty's face.

"I am _not _a kid!" Misty barked, grabbing Jessie's hand and moving it away from her. "I'm a grown woman! And I just so happen to be the gym leader of this city!"

Jessie scoffed. "Right, like I care, you little twerpette."

This little quip caused the gathered and concerned citizens to gasp in near horror. How dare _anyone _insult their beloved gym leader! Ash wasn't too happy either, to say the least. He was fiercely protective of Misty, and speaking out against her was a pure crime in his mind.

"Hey!" Ash yelled, marching forward until he was standing side by side with Misty. "You heard her! She's the _gym leader _of this city! And she's my _fiancée. _So you can't speak to her like that!"

"Oh noes, now dat other twoip is here," Meowth muttered. Unfortunately for him, however, he had done it right into his microphone. Once again the citizens gasped, while Ash and Misty exchanged wide eyed looks.

"Did that Meowth just talk?" Misty murmured.

"We should have known!" Ash groaned dramatically.

"TEAM ROCKET!" The couple bellowed at the same time.

Allowing themselves to cackle deviously, Team Rocket threw off their disguises to reveal themselves in full uniform. Ash and Misty were _so _sick of the trio, especially now at the holidays. Putting up with their shenanigans was not something they had planned on doing when Misty decided they should take a stroll downtown.

"How deductive," Jessie smirked. "You two really aren't so smart, now are you?"

"Stuff it," Misty snarled. "I believe I asked you fools a question. _What _are you doing with the Pokémon?"

"It's quite simple, twerpette," James chuckled. "We simply rewired this stereo system and its microphones to imitate the effects of Jigglypuff's song."

"Yeah!" Meowth cackled. "So every time we sing into da' microphone, we're puttin' all dese Pokémon into a trance!"

"So why isn't it affecting you?" Ash growled. "_You're _a Pokémon!"

Misty had to admit that was a great point, _especially_ for Ash to be making.

"Ear plugs are a wonderful invention," Jessie sniped. "Now, step aside, little twerps. These Pokémon are _ours _now!"

And with that, they kept on singing their song to draw in the Pokémon:

_They know that Santa is on his way,_  
_Yay!_  
_He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh._  
_Hooray!_  
_And every mother's child is gonna spy,_  
_Why oh why?_  
_To see if __Stantler__ really know how to fly._  
_My oh my_

Ash and Misty exchanged tortured glances. Neither one were entirely sure of what to do. They both knew they couldn't use any of their other Pokémon, because they too would be put under the influence of Team Rocket's stereo. Finally, Ash felt that he had no other choice. He had to go with the safest option…the one that would work without a doubt.

Taking one large stride forward, Ash jumped into the air and landed right on the stereo, easily smashing the machine under his weight. As he came down on the stereo, something slipped out of his pocket and went skidding towards Misty, who raised an eyebrow and picked up the small bag. Team Rocket howled in horror, while Ash smirked in victory. Around them, the previously transfixed Pokémon snapped out of their states, looking around the square in bewilderment. Pikachu, once he realized he was back to normal, squeaked in delight and hopped onto a grateful Ash's shoulder.

"I'm glad you're back to normal, little buddy," Ash grinned at the electric type.

"Cha!" Pikachu squealed.

The mischievous grin still on his face, Ash pointed at the startled trio standing before them and commanded, "Pikachu, use thunderbolt!"

The mouse jumped into the air and unleashed his signature attack, sending a serious shock through Team Rocket's systems and sending them flying into the night sky.

"Bye bye!" Ash chuckled, Pikachu joining in once he landed back on his trainer's shoulder.

The Cerulean citizens were extremely happy that Ash had managed to get rid of the troublemaking Team Rocket. They were all cheering for him, clapping and yelling out his name. Ash blushed slightly; he still hadn't really gotten used to all of the attention he was given. Misty, just as joyous as the other citizens, ran up to her fiancé and gave him a hug, giggling as she embraced the young man.

"You did it, Ash!" Misty beamed up at him. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Mist," Ash held onto her back. "But it wasn't much, really. It was just getting rid of Team Rocket. Same as always."

"Yeah, but you saved the citizens' Pokémon," Misty was still smiling. "That means so much to me! Thank you, sweetheart."

Ash chuckled warmly and kissed the top of Misty's head. Something suddenly coming to mind, Misty held up the bag and informed Ash, "oh, this fell out of your pocket while you crushing Team Rocket's stereo…"

Ash gasped in horror and tore the bag out of Misty's hand. The gym leader was taken off guard by Ash's rash reaction, causing the Pokémon Master to smile in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Ash muttered, "you just…weren't really supposed to see that."

"Oh," Misty breathed knowingly. "Should I pretend that I didn't see it, then?"

Ash sighed before smiling sweetly at the young woman. "Nah. It's fine. It can just be an early present for you." He held out the bag once again, and this time, Misty gingerly accepted it.

She opened up the bag and reached in, pulling out an even smaller bag; this one made of red velvet. Misty pulled open the drawstring and reached into the velvet pouch, pulling out none other than the same white gold and sapphire necklace that she'd looked at in the window before.

"A…Ash…" Misty breathed, staring up at her fiancé in surprise.

"I actually bought it before you showed it to me in the window," Ash blushed slightly. "I thought you would like it."

"Oh, honey, I love it," Misty threw her arms around Ash and gave him a kiss. Ash quickly returned the action, wrapping his own arms around Misty's slender body.

Still on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu covered his beady black eyes, actually wishing he was still under Team Rocket's trance.


	7. Under the Mistletoe

**Guys, this is my absolute favorite chapter of this project. Yes, I pick favorites, and this is the best one, I swear. I just love it so, so much. Maybe because it's based off of the most shippy song on the CD? Either way, I just really love it, so I'm really excited to have you guys read it :D**

**This is based off the seventh song on the CD: Under the Mistletoe.**

* * *

**Under the Mistletoe**

_There's a feeling I'm getting,  
I just can't explain,  
Makin' me glad tonight.  
Maybe it's __Christmas__,  
Maybe the snow,  
Maybe the mistletoe._

Ash was confused.

He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why his mother was standing on a step ladder, hanging up some silly looking plant in the doorframe. It was kind of a sad looking decoration, especially compared to the beautiful Christmas tree standing in the corner of the living room.

It was a bit intrusive, too. After all, his mother was hanging the stupid plant on the top of the doorframe that separated the living room from the kitchen. And Ash wanted to get into the kitchen. That's where the Christmas cookies that his mother had baked were.

Ash glared up at that stupid plant. It was in his way. It was the reason his mother was standing on that step ladder, and blocking his path into the kitchen. It was the reason for his raging hunger.

Or maybe it was just his "unsustainable appetite" that his mother always went on and on about. Ash had no idea what that meant either.

As if on cue, his stomach growled, loudly enough for everyone in the house to hear. Fortunately, the only two in the house were him and his mother. Ash's cheeks turned red, an uncontrollable habit, while his mother peered down at him and giggled airily.

"Oh, is my sweet little boy hungry?" Delia asked.

"Yes, Mommy!" Ash nodded furiously, the blush on his cheeks subsiding just as quickly as it had appeared.

Delia descended the step ladder and folded it up, temporarily leaning it against the wall with the intention of putting it back in the closet later. Her young son came before all else, of course.

"And I can just guess what you're thinking of!" Delia's eyes were sparkling. "Those delicious sugar cookies I made earlier! Am I right?"

"Uh huh!" Ash nodded once more.

"Well then, I suppose we'll just have to go into the kitchen and get some!" Delia announced.

This was certainly enough for Ash. He started giggling wildly, overjoyed at the prospect of having some tasty cookies. His mother's cooking was the best, and her baking was even better. Ash loved sweet things, even if they could sometimes make him act like a wild Pokémon. Without much more thought, Ash made a mad dash for the kitchen, running as fast as his little four year old legs would take him. Unfortunately for the boy, he was stopped in his tracks by none other than his mother, who had grabbed the child by the back of his dark blue sweater.

"Mommy!" Ash whined, struggling to escape from the woman's hold. "Let go! I'm _hungwy!_"

"In just a second, sweetheart," Delia cooed before leaning down to give the boy a kiss on his cheek.

_This _stopped Ash's still moving legs instantly. He turned his head, staring at his mother in horror as though she had just slapped him…not kissed him.

"BLECH!" Ash wailed, rubbing furiously at his cheek to get the wetness off. "Icky!" Staring up angrily at his amused mother, Ash demanded, "why'd you kiss me?!"

"Because, dear, we were standing under the mistletoe!"

"What the heck is that?" Ash grumbled, not at all propitiated by the answer.

"_That's_ the mistletoe," Delia smiled, pointing up at the same plant she'd just been hanging on the doorframe. Ash narrowed his eyes at the object. That plant. That _stupid _plant.

It was worse than he had thought.

"Why's it there?" Ash huffed.

"Because it's a Christmas decoration," his mother replied sweetly. "And it's just perfect for the party!"

"What pawty?"

Now it was Delia's turn to frown. "Oh, sweetheart, don't tell me you forgot about the party."

"I dunno," Ash shrugged, his pure innocence overtaking him.

"I invited a bunch of people over to the house for a fun little Christmas party," Delia answered helpfully, finally making her way into the kitchen. This brought a smile to Ash's face, since the child knew he'd soon be getting his beloved cookies. "You know; Auntie Katherine, Mr. and Mrs. Hale with baby Molly, Professor Oak and Gary-"

"Gawy Oak?" Ash spat, his joy disappearing all over again.

"Yes, Ash, Gary Oak," Delia picked up a Christmas tree shaped cookie and handed it off to her young son. "And you'd better be nice to him, young man! Otherwise, Santa isn't going to bring you any presents."

Delia skirted out of the kitchen, her back towards Ash as the boy once again looked up at the hanging plant in order to glare at it.

He hated the mistletoe.

_There's a secret I'm keepin',  
That no one can hear,  
A feeling deep in my heart.  
Maybe this Christmas  
My true love will show,  
Under the mistletoe._

"Boy, this party sure is crowded!"

Ash was visiting his mother in Pallet Town for the holidays, where she was hosting what had become their annual Christmas party. Ash had invited some friends, however, so the house was a little more packed than usual.

"Hey, wait a minute! There's Christmas cookies over there! Let's go get some, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu, who was sitting atop his master's head in order to see over the throng of people, squeaked in delight.

Ash started to make a dash towards the table full of holiday treats, when he was immediately stopped by the figure of a slim, beautiful girl with sparkling emerald eyes and obviously tinted cheeks.

"Hi, Ash," Misty greeted a little shyly.

"Oh, hi Misty," Ash murmured, pulling his lips into a smile. He was happy to see his best friend, especially after having gone quite a while without seeing her, but right now he was _very_ hungry, and those Christmas cookies were really calling his name.

"Great party, huh?" Misty questioned, trying to make small talk with the raven haired teenager standing before her.

"Yeah," Ash nodded certainly, hurrying out his words as he motioned towards Pikachu, "we were just going to get something to eat."

"Hey, did you see Nurse Joy?" Misty questioned with a small laugh, desperate for Ash not to get away.

"Yeah," Ash's smile became a bit more genuine. "Maybe you should go tell Brock."

"Maybe not," Misty giggled, slowly becoming more sure of herself. After that, some more silence slipped in between the old friends, however, and any of Misty's gained confidence disappeared.

"Anyway…" Ash finally broke the silence, trying to make it less awkward, "can we squeeze past you? We're pretty hungry."

"Oh, sure," Misty frowned, knowing there was no stopping her longtime friend. She still wanted to get him to listen to her, however, and that wasn't going to happen unless she got the right words out. "Okay. Um…aah!"

Before she knew it, Ash had pushed past her, his eyes still ravenously set on the food table. Misty glowered after the boy, but knew she had to drop the anger in order to get him where she wanted him. So, while Ash was busy stuffing his face with cookies, Misty made her way towards the doorframe that separated the living room from the kitchen and stood by the wall, waiting for Ash to finish his snacking.

Meanwhile, the future Pokémon Master felt accomplished in his task, having successfully eaten a total of ten Christmas cookies. He was still a bit hungry, but Ash didn't want to fill up before his mother's famed holiday dinner. Speaking of which, he figured he'd wander into the kitchen and see what was currently on the stove. Maybe he could sneak a bit and test it out before anyone else got to try the food. He made his way to the doorframe, but stopped when he saw Misty leaning against the side of the entry way. Ash smiled sweetly at her and stopped for a small chat, understanding that he had slightly dissed her before and should probably make up for it.

"Hi, Ash," Misty greeted once more. "Did you get something to eat?"

"Yeah, sure did," Ash beamed at the teenaged girl.

"Um, Ash…" Misty looked down at her foot, which she was nervously scuffing against the hardwood floor, "did you realize we're standing under the mistletoe?"

"Huh?" Ash slowly turned his gaze upwards, where, just as Misty had said, he found the menacing little plant hanging between them. "Waaa!" With that, he tried to run into the kitchen, but was quickly stopped by Misty, who had grabbed onto his shoulders. She blushed upon feeling just how much broader they had gotten.

"Ash!" Misty chastised, not willing to let go of the boy. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, I'm getting some more Christmas cookies!"

"But you just _got _some cookies!"

"Yeah, I know! Come on, Pikachu!"

Pikachu, however, was not about to give into his trainer once again. He could sense what Misty wanted, and Pikachu wanted it for the _both _of them. He was sick and tired of Ash's oblivious attitude. So, getting as defiant as he possibly could, Pikachu gave the boy a small shock before leaping off of his hat covered head, flicking the trainer on the shin with his lightning bolt shaped tail before scurrying away.

"Ow…" Ash complained, trying to shake out the electricity that was still flowing through his veins. "What the heck was _that _about?"

"He realizes that you have a problem," Misty folded her arms, giving Ash a dark look.

"Huh?" He blinked, confused as to what Misty meant.

"I've been trying to talk to you, and all you keep doing is running away to _eat,_" Misty narrowed her eyes.

"Because I'm always hungry!" Ash tried.

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you're being rude to me," Misty finally spoke her true feelings. Ash seemed taken aback by Misty's comment, and after a few seconds, he seemed to look a little…hurt.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Mist," Ash's voice was genuine. "I wasn't trying to hurt you. Honest."

Breathing out, Misty gave the teenager a weak smile and replied, "I know you would never hurt me on purpose, Ash. You're too good of a friend to do that."

Once again, Ash was surprise. "You…you think I'm a good friend?"

"The very best," Misty nodded.

Ash really looked happy now. Misty was blushing heavily, and Ash couldn't figure out why. Then, looking up, he realized that they were still underneath the mistletoe.

"Oh…" Ash blinked, slowly lowering his eyes back onto Misty. She was giving him a sweet smile, and Ash decided to return the action. Her entire body visibly trembling, Misty leaned forward, her lips pursing in preparation. Feeling just as nervous, Ash closed his own eyes, anxious to see what was coming. It wasn't what he had expected, however. And it wasn't even what Misty had been expecting.

She had gotten too nervous to kiss him on the lips. So, instead, she had given him a kiss on the _cheek._

As soon as her lips left his cheek, Ash opened his eyes, and found himself staring into Misty's green orbs. The two smiled feebly at one another before Misty departed, floating into the kitchen without another word to the bubbly Ash.

He was starting to think the mistletoe wasn't so bad.

_Jolly ol' St. Nicholas  
Before the night is through  
There's something very special that  
I'd like to say to you  
Merry, merry Christmas  
I'd like you to know_

_I'm hoping that I meet someone  
Under the mistletoe_

Ash peeked into the kitchen, chuckling quietly to himself. He was staring at three different figures, all huddled around a pot on the stove.

It was his mother's annual Christmas party, and the house was full of people and holiday cheer. Everyone was dressed up, and the smell of his mother's delicious cooking was filling the air. Ash couldn't wait to get his hands on dinner.

And something else, too.

One of the figures turned around, causing Ash to squeak and press himself further against the doorframe that separated the kitchen from the living room. A seemingly permanent smile was set on his face. The young man was waiting, and no one dared to disturb him from his mission.

The first of the figures, the same one who had just turned around, suddenly appeared in front of Ash, with the intention of walking into the living room. Instead, Ash grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, giving the surprised woman a kiss on her cheek.

"Ash, what in the world?" Delia giggled, her russet eyes bright with glee.

"You know what," Ash smirked, motioning upwards. Delia glanced up and started to laugh once again, her cheeks glowing a light shade of pink.

"Oh, Ash. Aren't you just the cutest thing!"

"I try," Ash replied smartly. "How is dinner coming along?"

"I knew you would ask me that question," Delia winked. "Just perfectly! Especially with my two wonderful assistants helping me out!"

"That's great!" Ash chuckled. "You might want to refill the cookie tray, by the way. I kind of-"

"Went through all of them?" Delia interrupted, a knowing gleam in her amber eyes.

"Heh…kinda!"

"It's no problem," Delia smirked, giving her son a gentle tap on the nose. "I'll go get some more cookies and fix that tray right up! But this time, you stay away from there! Save some for the rest of the guests."

"Yes, Mom," Ash chuckled, knowing his mother was fully serious.

As soon as the older woman retreated back into the kitchen, her presence was replaced by one of another familiar figure, this one a little more expectant of the Pokémon Master's intentions.

"Well, well, look who's standing in the ominous doorway!"

Ash's grin became even cheekier. He was now showing off the pert, lopsided grin that only this girl could get out of him. It was because he saved it, special for her.

"You didn't even have to shock me this time," Ash winked.

"I haven't had to do that for quite some time," Misty purred, wrapping her arms around Ash's neck.

Humming delightfully, Ash held his red headed beauty by her waist, pulling her in for a deep, loving kiss. She got the most passionate kisses under this old holiday tale, although Ash loved to give them all their _special _kisses.

"Mommy, Daddy?"

The couple both laughed and pulled away, looking down by their feet. A little red head had run up to them, the third figure from around the pot. She was so small and young, wearing a sleeveless, red lace dress with three red roses lining the front at her stomach. The way she stared up at both Ash and Misty was completely innocent; not at all understanding of what was happening.

"Hey there, little princess!" Ash greeted, lifting the child up in his arms. Already, this was her third Christmas, but it was the first one where the little girl was really grasping the whole idea of the holiday. If only slightly. So, pointing up, Ash asked the girl, "do you know what that is?"

Michelle tilted her head back so she could stare at whatever it was her father was talking about. It was a small plant, with dangling green leaves and a red ribbon tied into a bow around its stem.

"No," Michelle answered spritely.

"That's called the mistletoe," Ash explained to his daughter. "We hang it up every Christmas. It's a tradition. And do you know what happens when two people are under the mistletoe together?"

"No," Michelle replied again.

"They have to kiss!" Ash gasped playfully. Michelle's eyes widened and she covered her mouth, causing Ash and Misty to burst out laughing. "What's the matter, Shelly? Afraid of a little kiss?"

Michelle nodded, her long red hair rubbing against her bare arms.

"Even a kiss from Daddy?" Ash teased, puckering up his lips and friskily kissing the air a few times. Michelle started to laugh behind her little hands, squirming in her father's arms. "Daddy is going to kiss you!"

"No!" Michelle cried, laughter still wracking her body.

Disregarding the toddler's protests, Ash started giving the child what seemed like a thousand kisses all over her face. Michelle's roaring giggles filled the air, Misty watching amusedly from behind her young daughter. Just the sound of her giggling, in fact, was enough to make Ash smile and laugh himself.

He loved the mistletoe.

* * *

**The middle story was the one based entirely off the song. The first and last ones just sort of frame it and Ash's evolution of feelings concerning the mistletoe ^^**

**If you review any of these chapters, do this one! I want to know what you guys thought! The next chapter will be coming your way tomorrow :)**


	8. Must Be Santa

**All you Elizabeth fans out there will love this one :) It's Lizzie centric!**

**Based off of the eighth track on the CD: Must Be Santa.**

* * *

**Must Be Santa**

"Hey, Lizzie, aren't you excited for Santa?"

Elizabeth tilted her head and stared up at her older brother in innocent bewilderment.

"What?" Aiden frowned. "Don't you know who Santa is?"

"No," Elizabeth squeaked.

Aiden looked very disturbed by such an idea. How could his little sister not know who Santa was? Still feeling disgruntled, the boy picked up the younger girl, much to her delight, and carried her into the kitchen, where their mother was helping Brock cook.

"Mom! Brock!" Aiden cried. Both adults whipped around, concerned by the tone of Aiden's voice. They weren't met with a disturbing sight, however, which was enough to confuse them.

"Aiden, you scared us," Misty sighed, covering her heart with her hand. "I thought that something was wrong with Elizabeth!"

"No, she's fine," Aiden motioned towards the giggling child. "We have a _different_ problem with Lizzie!"

"What kind of problem?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"She doesn't know who Santa is," Aiden's eyes widened, once again shocking himself with the fact.

"Well, that's understandable," Misty wasn't taken as off guard as her son. "Elizabeth isn't even a year and a half old yet! She might not even understand what Christmas is."

"Pwesents," Elizabeth spoke up, a big smile appearing on her young face.

Gasping, Misty took the baby out of her brother's hands and cooed, "Yes, little sweetheart! Presents! You get presents at Christmas time!"

Stepping forward, Aiden folded his arms and stared up at his mother, pressing, "Mom, we have to teach her about Santa! No little sister of mine can't know who Santa is."

"How are we supposed to teach her about Santa?" Misty asked.

"Well, Misty, we could always use her toys!"

The gym leader turned around and gave her busily cooking friend a narrowed glance. "What toys are you talking about, Brock?"

Chuckling, Brock checked on the food in the oven one last time before deeming he could leave it alone for a little while. With that out of the way, he approached Misty and took the youngest Ketchum into his own arms, causing her to giggle once again.

"Bwock," Elizabeth pointed at the man holding her.

"Come along, little goddaughter," Brock smiled, carrying the child back into the living room, "Brock is gonna' teach you all about Santa Claus!"

Sitting down on the floor, the Pokémon Doctor sat Elizabeth down in front of him, patting the happy baby on her head. Her cheery red sweater dress, with Fair Isle double sleeves and snowflake appliques, was gathered into the baby's hands as she smiled up at her Godfather. With Elizabeth sitting intently in front of him, Brock picked up one of the child's stuffed toys that had been sitting on the carpet; a round and overly cute representation of Santa Claus.

"I don't remember that one," Misty twisted her mouth.

"I bought it for her!" Brock smiled, causing the woman to smirk while rolling her eyes. Her children were _so _spoiled.

"Look, Lizzie," Aiden crawled up next to their Godfather, pulling at the white beard on the stuffed Santa. "He's got a beard! And it's long and white!"

"Who's that?" Brock asked the baby, making her toy Santa dance and causing Elizabeth to laugh wildly.

"Santa!" Misty gently tickled the baby's side, pointing at the toy.

"And who comes around on a special night?" Aiden continued, pointing towards the brightly lit Christmas tree in the corner. Elizabeth cooed and reached out towards the tree.

"Santa does!" Misty giggled, rubbing her nose against the baby's cheek. Elizabeth took her outstretched hand and patted her mother's cheek, laughing at the contact. Reaching forward, Misty took the stuffed Santa out of Brock's hands and held it in front of the child herself. "Who wears boots and a suit of red?"

Elizabeth stopped patting Misty's cheek and let out a tiny squeak before grabbing the toy Santa's stomach and squeezing it.

"Yeah, Santa does!" Brock chuckled.

"And who wears a long cap on his head?" Misty gently pulled at the stuffed Santa's hat. Elizabeth followed suit, grabbing at the hat with her tiny hand and yanking on it as hard as she possibly could.

"Santa wears a hat!" Aiden beamed at his little sister.

"And who's got a red nose?" Brock smiled. "Like a cherry?"

Elizabeth continued to stare at the toy before her, moving her hand down to poke a finger at the stuffed Santa's beady little nose.

"Santa's nose is red!" Misty giggled.

"And who laughs like this?" Brock asked before deepening his voice and letting out a merry, "ho ho ho!"

"Boo?" Elizabeth tilted her head, pressing her index finger against her lower lip.

"No, Lizzie!" Aiden sighed. "Ho ho ho! Not boo! It's not Halloween!"

Elizabeth was now just staring at Aiden, seemingly confused by whatever it was he was saying. "Boo?"

"Lizzie, its Santa!" Misty bounced the toy up and down in front of her little daughter. "Santa laughs like that!"

Elizabeth pressed her hand to the top of the Santa's head, until he was smushed between her palm and the floor.

"Who's coming here soon?" Aiden continued.

"Dada!" Elizabeth's eyes lit up. Misty started to laugh, covering her mouth. Brock soon joined in on the laughter, but Aiden wasn't as amused as the adults.

"No, not Dad!" Aiden groaned, smacking his forehead.

"Oh, sweetie, you know that's what we ask Elizabeth before your father comes home," Misty smiled at the boy. "That's the only reason she said Dada. She thinks we're talking about Ash now!"

"Dada," Elizabeth pointed at the Santa toy once again.

"Elizabeth, Dad isn't Santa," Aiden shook his head.

The little girl frowned and pressed her hands together, clearly not pleased that it wasn't her father they were talking about.

"It's Santa!" Misty cooed, trying to cheer the girl up. "Santa is coming here soon! And do you know what he brings with him?"

"Dada," Elizabeth frowned.

"No, Dada will come home on his own," Misty giggled, gently tapping her daughter's nose. "Santa will bring you presents!"

"Pwesents?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, presents!"

"And he comes in a sleigh," Brock added. "Do you know who pulls his sleigh, Elizabeth?"

The baby shook her head, causing Brock to chuckle. He picked up another stuffed toy, this one a Stantler with a red ribbon tied around its neck into a bow. Misty didn't recognize that one either. And when she gave Brock that look, all she got in return was a cheeky smile.

_Oh, come on, Brock._

The baby reached out and played with Stantler's antlers, pulling at them to see if they would come out of the stuffed Pokémon's head.

"Stantler pull his sleigh!" Brock cooed, bouncing the deer Pokémon up and down.

"Except Santa has eight Stantler," Aiden grinned.

Letting go of the stuffed Stantler, Elizabeth instead chose to once again reach for the toy Santa that was still in her mother's hands. She grabbed at it, so Misty finally gave up the toy and allowed Elizabeth to hold onto it. Staring down at the round, soft toy in her hands, Elizabeth soon started patting his stomach, causing the three surrounding her to laugh.

"Who is that, Lizzie?" Misty asked sweetly.

"Santa!" Elizabeth chirped, beaming up at her mother.

Aiden's eyes lit up, as did Misty's. She knew before she had told Aiden it was no big deal that Elizabeth didn't know who Santa is, but her learning it was really an incredible feeling. It made Misty so proud of her baby girl.

"Yes, that's Santa!" Misty clapped her hands together. "Good girl!"

Elizabeth, in turn, started to laugh and clap her own hands together. She had a habit of copying whatever everyone around her was doing.

"Yes!" Aiden cheered, jumping to his feet. "Now Lizzie knows who Santa is! This is _awesome!_ She can be all excited for him and help me and Michelle put out cookies for him!"

"Milk," Elizabeth squeaked.

"Wow, she even knows that we put milk out with the cookies!" Aiden was marveling at his little sister. "I didn't even have to say anything about it! She's really smart, huh, guys?"

"She is definitely a smart little girl," Misty giggled softly, "but…I don't think Elizabeth meant milk for _Santa._"

"Huh?" Aiden blinked. "Of course she did! What else could she mean?"

"Milk!" Elizabeth repeated, pulling at her lips with her right hand and grabbing her mother's shirt with her left.

"Little Lizzie wants milk for _herself!_" Misty laughed, picking up the toddler and sitting the girl in her lap. "Okay, my beautiful sprinkle, I'll feed you!"

Aiden sighed and shook his head. Chuckling, Brandon patted the boy on his shoulder and comforted, "it's alright, Aiden. One step at a time!"


	9. The Night Before Christmas

**I don't like this one. See, my vision for this song has always been that Ash, Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket were reading the story to Ash and Misty's children. But I already wrote that as a one shot for last year's project (SHAMELESS PLUG: it's called "The Night Before Christmas" and it's on my profile) and I didn't want to put that same story in here or skip the song entirely. So...I came up with this. Like I said, I'm not a fan.**

**This is based off of the ninth song on the CD: The Night Before Christmas.**

* * *

**The Night Before Christmas**

_Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house  
Not a creature was stirring, not even __Meowth__._

"Look at our beautiful babies…fast asleep."

"I bet they're excited for Santa to come!"

"Ash, they don't know who Santa is."

"How do you know?"

"Because they don't even know who _we _are."

Ash's childhood home in Pallet Town was quiet and still. It was late at night, very night. In fact, it was nearly the next day. The only reason this young couple was still awake was because they were young parents, with two _very _young babies who'd just needed to be fed. They were full now, and seemingly content, until one of them started to fuss.

"Well, now we've got a creature stirring, huh?" Ash chuckled, reaching into the bassinet and gathering his two and a half week old daughter in his arms. She was very tiny, and her cries were very weak and squeaky. She still made Ash smile so much, though. Chuckling softly, he carried the baby downstairs, Misty following quietly behind him, watching with curious eyes.

_The stockings were hung by the chimney with care  
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there._

He ended up in the living room, decorated beautifully for Christmas as only his mother could orchestrate. Still bouncing the crying baby, Ash carried her over to the fireplace, where five stockings hung delicately in front of the wire screen.

"Look at all of these, Shelly," Ash whispered. His soothing voice calmed Michelle down, to some extent, causing the baby to let out a delicate coo. Smiling, he plucked at a light pink one and continued, "this one is yours. Isn't it cute? We didn't really think you'd be here for Christmas, but we got you and Aiden your own stockings anyway. Good thing we did!"

Misty smiled sweetly at her husband. He was so gentle and loving. No one ever seemed to expect that out of him, but those who knew him best always did.

She decided she should probably go check on Aiden. She often felt guilty and was afraid that she and Ash were giving Michelle more attention than Aiden, because she was a bit sickly. Misty didn't want that at all. She loved both of her babies and wanted to give them an equal amount of attention.

_The children were nestled, all snug in their beds  
While visions of Vileplumes danced in their heads._

Misty sighed happily and leaned over the side of Aiden's crib. Her baby boy was so precious. He looked so much like his father…_especially_ in his sleep. The way his little nose twitched every now and again, baby snores escaping from that same little nose.

He was wearing the cutest footed pajamas, printed with diagonal red, white, and green stripes. Misty just loved them; it reminded her of a candy cane. Which, of course, was sweet. Just like her baby.

"You're so cute," Misty whispered, smiling at the baby.

In his sleep, he smiled, and Misty couldn't help but to wonder what in the world that innocent little thing was dreaming about.

_When out on the roof, there arose such a clatter  
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter_

Suddenly, a fairly loud sound startled Misty. Her body trembling, Misty gathered Aiden into her arms, not wanting to leave him alone in the room. She would not protest to the idea that she was _just slightly_ overprotective.

Holding the boy to her chest, Misty hurried downstairs, finding Ash still standing by the fireplace with Michelle in his arms, staring up curiously at the ceiling.

"Ash," Misty's hushed and frantic voice caught the young man's attention, "what was that?"

"I don't know," Ash shook his head. He, too, was clutching the baby in his arms a little more tightly.

_Away to the window I flew like a flash  
Tore open the shutter and saw Rapidash_

Misty walked towards the window, wondering if someone was outside. Aiden mumbled against her, causing Misty to shush him softly and hold her hand against the back of his head. She peered through the glass, into the winter night, and waited.

"What's up, Mist?" Ash asked, moving closer to her.

"I thought the noise might have been from someone outside," Misty murmured.

"Someone outside?" Ash chuckled at the notion. "Come on, honey, this is Pallet Town! No one is outside in this little town at this time of night!"

Glaring at her husband, Misty bit, "I will not be too careful with these two around now! We need to protect them, Ash!"

"And I promise you that there is nowhere safer for them to be than Pallet Town," Ash rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, a series of shadows stretched across the snow, causing both Ash and Misty to jump.

"What was that?!" Misty shrieked.

"Was it a Pokemon?" Ash asked, leaning in closer. He wondered what kind of Pokemon it could have possibly been!

"I…I don't know," Misty blinked. "What kind of Pokemon would be flying around at this time of night?"

"Santa's Stantler!" Ash answered without hesitation.

Misty threw him a look, but Ash missed it. He was too busy staring outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa's sleigh.

_The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow  
Gave the luster of midday to Jynx's below_

She knew he was crazy, he really was. Santa wasn't real, no way no how. All Misty could see now, on the snow covered ground, was the reflection of the moon, its light shining on the pure white surface. The shadows had gone, very quickly in fact.

But no way could they be Stantler. Not _even._

_He's crazy, _Misty thought to herself, rolling her eyes. _I've married a crazy man._

"Ash…" Misty murmured, lowering her eyes, "there's no such thing as…that." She didn't want to say it in front of the babies. Even though they _were _only a few weeks old, Misty didn't want to ruin anything for them.

"Of course there is, Misty!" Ash laughed it off. "Don't be silly."

"Oh, yeah," Misty sighed, "_I'm _the silly one in this house."

_When what to my half-open eyes should appear  
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer_

Suddenly, another shadow appeared on the snow, this one much larger and squarer than what had previously appeared. Misty stared up into the sky, her heart beating wildly in her chest. This seemed to make Aiden happy, as he let out a content breath and snuggled more deeply against his mother.

"What was that?" Misty gasped.

"I already told you. Santa."

"And _I _already told _you, _you're crazy."

A flash of red ran across the sky, Misty's eyes widening. Ash chuckled happily, and now Misty was resisting the urge to smack him with the back of her hand.

"I don't believe this," Misty muttered.

"Well, you have to!" Ash rubbed his cheek against her own, causing Misty to growl. "You just saw it with your own eyes!"

"Come on, Ash, how do you know for sure it's Santa?" Misty questioned. "You don't! There's no proof!"

"A big red sleigh flying through the air is enough proof for me," Ash shrugged. In his arms, Michelle let out a happy little squeak, causing Ash to smile and hold her even closer.

Misty pressed her lips together tightly. She knew Ash had a point…there didn't seem to be much else that the big, red box could have been. Besides, it would be fun to believe and feel like a little kid again…if for only one night.

"Alright, fine," Misty smirked. "I think you're right."

"You do?" Ash was obviously surprised.

"Yes. I think that was Santa Claus."

"I knew you would believe sooner or later," Ash smiled at his wife. He sounded relieved, in a way. It made Misty giggle. She loved that silly boy more than anything else in the world.

"Of course I believe," Misty smirked, her cheeks glowing lightly. "It's Christmas time."


	10. Christmas Medley

**MERRY NOT CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Yes, it is December 22nd. And here is the last chapter of this year's holiday project!**

**It is, of course, based off of the tenth and final track on the Pokemon Bash CD: Christmas Medley. So, just like the song does, this chapter features is made up of a bunch of different songs! They're seperated by headers of the name of the song the ficlet is based off of :)**

**So, enough out of me. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Christmas Medley**

_Here's your chance to sing along now,  
We love Pokémon, and so do you.  
Raise your voice, sing Yuletide song now,  
All __the tunes__ are old, the words are new._

**Jingle Bells**

"Heya! Go, go!"

Misty had both of her eyes screwed shut, but she managed to open just one in order to watch the scene around her fly by. If you had told the pretty gym leader that she'd be sitting in a sleigh being pulled by a Rapidash, with her boyfriend _driving _the damn thing, she would've called you insane.

And yet, here they were.

"Ash, can't you slow this thing down?!" Misty cried, finally opening her second eye. Her white knit hat nearly flew off her head as the sleigh ran over a fairly large bump of snow, causing the red head to yelp and hold onto her hat to keep it from slipping off.

"No way, Mist!" Ash grinned, causing the girl to scowl. "That'll just take the fun out of it!"

"The fun out of what?" Misty narrowed her eyes. "Trying to kill me?"

"I would never try to kill my beautiful girlfriend," Ash refuted, causing Misty to blush. "Keep your eyes open, though! You don't want to miss this!"

As the sleigh continued to fly through the snowy forest, Misty was able to see small groups of Pokémon laughing and running around in the snow. They were obviously having a bunch of fun. From the front of the sleigh, Ash pulled a punch of poke balls out of his pocket, throwing them in the air. Misty looked up and watched them soar through the winter air, landing on the ground, in the trees, and in bushes.

"What in the world are you doing?" Misty asked with a laugh.

"Throwing poke balls!" Ash answered simply. "You know how that old song goes!"

"What song?" Misty raised an eyebrow, giggles still traced throughout her voice.

Without so much as clearing his voice, Ash began to sing at the top of his lungs:

_Poké Balls__,  
Poké Balls,  
Throw them all the way  
You may catch the Pokémon  
You want on Christmas day_

"Okay, first of all, you can't sing," Misty smirked, causing Ash to blush knowingly. "And, second of all, that's not a Christmas song."

"Yes it is!"

"You're thinking of _Jingle Bells,_" Misty sighed. "And all you did was change the words!"

"That's a great Christmas song," Ash argued, a smile playing on his lips.

"It's not real."

"Of course it is!"

"No it's not. It's a rip off."

"It's real," Ash had a twinkle in his eye. "And you know what else is real?"

"Your heinously bad singing voice?" Misty cracked.

"No," Ash replied before learning forward to give Misty a sweet kiss on the lips, surprising the gym leader. "That."

**Good King Wenceslas**

"And then Nidoking fell down on his trainer, Steven!"

At this, Aiden raised a wry eyebrow. Despite being Ash's near clone, he looked more like Misty when he did this. "Daddy, why would a Pokémon fall down on his trainer?"

"I don't know, good question," Ash shrugged. "But that's what it says in the story!"

"It's a weird story," Aiden muttered. For a five year old, he was pretty bright, Ash noted. Flipping the pages, Ash came to a realization and gasped, earning the attention of his son.

"OH! Now I get it!" Ash laughed. "They didn't mean that Nidoking fell down _on _him! They meant that Nidoking collapsed because he lost the battle!"

Ash continued to laugh, but Aiden was throwing him a look that read he wasn't at all impressed.

"It woulda' been funnier if Nidoking really fell on his trainer," Aiden commented.

"I hate to say it," Ash smirked, "but I agree with you, champ."

**Joy to the World**

_Nurse Joy__ is a girl,  
She sure is fun,_

"Ash, tell Brock to shut up."

"But that's mean, Mist."

"I don't care. His obnoxious song is being mean to my ears."

_But I like Jenny too!_

"Hey, Brock?"

"Yeah, Ash?"

"Misty says shut up."

**Here We Come A-Wassailing**

It didn't matter that it was Christmas. This happened all the time, seasons and holidays be damned. They wanted what they wanted, and Ash was going to make sure that didn't happen. Just like always.

So, there he stood, in a snowy field with Brock and Misty by his sides. The only thing different about this face off were the two young children attached to Ash's legs, and the bundled up baby held in Misty's arms.

Try as the evil trio may, with their stupid motto and fairly determined Pokémon, Ash just relied on Pikachu, same as always, to teach those three a lesson. Seviper and Carnivine were putting up a good fight, but Pikachu had managed to dodge all of their attacks, just like Ash had ordered. Once he got bored of humoring the villains, Ash gave Pikachu the call to use his signature attack.

Pikachu used his thunderbolt to give them a good shock, causing all three to cry out in pain as they went flying through the air.

"Nice job, Ash," Brock complimented the Pokémon Master with practiced ease. Aiden and Michelle, always excited by their father's defeats of the evil Team Rocket, began to celebrate, running circles around their father and throwing snow in the air. Misty, meanwhile, shielded babbling baby Elizabeth's face, not wanting any of the cold flakes to hit her sensitive skin, and leaned over to give Ash a kiss on the cheek.

It was good to beat Team Rocket. It always had been, for as long as Ash had remembered, and it would continue to be.

Because they all knew Team Rocket was never going to stop.

**O Christmas Tree**

"Mommy, Mommy! Daddy taught me a new song! Wanna' hear it?"

Misty smiled at her little son. She was sitting on the couch and holding Michelle on her lap, trying to watch some of her soap operas when the boy had toddled in.

"Sure, sweetie!" Misty nodded. "I would love to!"

"Okay!" Aiden jumped up and down before he started to sing the song he was so proud of.

_O __Caterpie__, O Caterpie  
Will you become my Butterfree?  
O Caterpie, it's very odd  
First you must be a __Metapod__!  
O Caterpie, O Caterpie  
I hope you'll be my Butterfree!_

Michelle let out a terrifying scream and covered her ears, while Misty herself just looked utterly disturbed.

"Mommy! Make him stop!" Michelle whined, trembling in fear.

Jumping off the couch, with Michelle still in her arms, Misty stormed towards the staircase and looked up, bellowing as angrily as she possibly could, "ASH KETCHUM! HOW DARE YOU DESTROY A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SONG BY MAKING IT ABOUT A FILTHY BUG POKEMON AND TEACHING IT TO OUR SON!"

Aiden, who was giggling at his mother's reaction, suddenly heard something land in the snow outside. Scurrying over to the couch, he hopped on top of it and stared out the big front window. What he saw was his father, looking rather frantic as he ran as far away from the house as possible.

"GET DOWN HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR BUTT, ASH KETCHUM!"

**Twelve Days of Christmas**

"Hey, Gweat Gwampa! Come on!"

Professor Oak looked down and found three children at his feet, the most eager of them all being his own great grandson, Sam. By Sam's side stood his two little friends, Aiden (who was a fair weather friend at best) and Michelle, simply looking curious as to what Sam was so excited about.

"Ah, I know what you want, Sammy," Professor Oak chuckled. "You want me to tell you another Christmas story!"

Sam nodded rapidly. Sitting down slowly in the chair of his library, Professor Oak waited for the three young children to settle down in front of him, all staring up at him as they waited for the tale.

"Um, let me see…" Professor Oak sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin as he thought up a good story for the children. "Oh, yes. I know a good one!"

_On the twelfth day of Christmas, a Trainer sent to me:_

_Twelve __Bulbasaur__-ing,_  
_Eleven __Lapras__ leaping,_  
_Ten __Tentacool__-ing,_  
_Ninetales__ a-wagging,  
Eight Muk a-mucking,  
Seven Squirtle squirting,  
Six Diglett digging,_  
_Five Goldeen,_  
_Four Charizard,_  
_Three Ekans,_  
_Two Electabuzz,_  
_And a __Farfetch'd__ with great Agility!_

The three children sitting at Professor Oak's feet oohed and happily clapped their hands once he was done telling his little Christmas story.

"Dat was fun!" Michelle giggled.

"Yeah!" Aiden agreed. "Much bettew than seein' Mommy and Daddy kiss…blegh."

Professor Oak sighed and covered his eyes with his hands. So _that's _why Aiden had been trailing along Sam without audible complaint.

Anything was better for the boy than having to see his parents making out.

**We Wish You a Merry Christmas**

Elizabeth wanted to write a Christmas song for her family.

She was just a little girl, after all, and she didn't exactly have money to go out and buy pretty jewelry for her Mommy, or a new hat for her Daddy. She couldn't even buy poke balls for Aiden or a new book for Michelle.

So, she decided that she would write a song that she could sing to them all. It wasn't store bought, but maybe it would be just as fun.

"What's a Pokémon that sounds like merry?" Elizabeth wondered aloud, tapping a pink pen to her cheek. This whole writing thing sure was harder than she thought it would be!

Just by the girl's luck, Pikachu had come scurrying by, and Elizabeth knew that if anyone could help her out, it would be the electric type.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Elizabeth called, catching the mouse's attention. He let out a happy _cha _and ran up to the girl, gently flicking his long ears in curiosity. "I need your help with something. I wanna' write this poem for everyone…but I need a little help!"

"Pika!" Pikachu was obviously happy that Elizabeth trusted _him _to help out with her Christmas project!

"Could you get me Daddy's pokedex? It would really help me a bunch!"

Pikachu's ears dropped at this as he scowled gently. Elizabeth hadn't really needed his _help, _so much as his assistance in stealing stuff. Nevertheless, he managed to get the small red device between his teeth and bring it back to a happy Elizabeth, who was now able to look up all the names of the different Pokémon and write her special poem for her family.

_We wish you a Marill Christmas  
We wish you a Marill Christmas  
We wish you a Marill Christmas_

_And a Hoppip New Year!_

Her family loved it, much to Elizabeth's delight. They all clapped for her and told her how much they loved the poem.

"It was a little short, though," Ash lamented, which earned an elbow in the side courtesy of Misty.

"That's because I hate poems," Elizabeth replied simply, throwing the piece of paper behind her as she ran off elsewhere in the house. Ash, Misty, Aiden, and Michelle just exchanged bewildered glances before Misty let out a loving giggle.

"Well, it _is _the thought that counts!"

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed my 2012 Christmas project as much as I enjoyed writing it! And I'll see you all again next year for the 2013 project ;) In the meanwhile, you can also enjoy my non holiday fics because you're all awesome people!**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!**


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